Today I have a great caper for kids. Think Sherlock Holmes meets the younger set. While mysteries for kids can often times be a disappointment, this one was spot on and had me trying to figure out the “who” and “why” until the very end.

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Title: Who Killed Darius Drake?

Author: Rodman Philbrick

Target: Grades 4-6

Series: No

What this book is about:

Arthur Bash is the school’s thug-for-hire. He will get it done for the cost of a Snickers bar. But when the class weirdo, Darius Drake hires Arthur to help him solve a mystery, all bets are off. Turns out there is a creepy house, an unsolved murder and missing diamonds in the mix. Arthur tries to get out of the deal, but by then Darius Drake has become a friend and Arthur is too deep into the mystery to escape.

Why I love this book:

This mystery just sucked me in. So often in kid’s book the who dun it just isn’t all that exciting, but while I suspected the culprit, I had no idea of the how or why and it kept me turning the pages. It was more sophisticated than many of the other mysteries I have read for this age group.

I enjoyed Drake and Arthur. Drake is a young Sherlock Holmes, pointing out the logical conclusions to the clues which other people miss. He is the loner genius. Arthur is that kid who underestimates himself but is really a good guy underneath the tough exterior.

I liked that the story was written from the perspective of Arthur. He is much more relatable to kids and the reader will develop a lot of empathy for him.

Who this book is for:

Great for kids who like mysteries. If you kids liked Framed! this one will be a good fit.

Final thoughts:

Good mystery, nice character development, plenty of family drama and a spooky house … what is not to love?

To purchase this book:

Click on the following link to connect to Amazon: Who Killed Darius Drake? A portion of each purchase will go to support this blog at no cost to you. Thank you for your support.